The Shattered Dragon

Chapter 16: The Perfect Accessory

It was true; Draco hadn't been out to one of these wizarding social events in forever. The Christmas tea he attended had only been twelve people and all of them were not exactly top tier Purebloods, most of them fairly outspoken about their opposition to Voldemort, outcasts or criminals, unwelcome anywhere else, the people he felt most comfortable with. So it came as no surprise when people stared at him, whispering behind their hands as he entered Archlight Manor. Photographers from the Veritas rushed to take a picture of his rare appearance, reporters asking questions that he ignored entirely. All the while, his date clung to his arm, drinking in the spectacle she'd orchestrated so perfectly, waving and blowing kisses at the gawkers as they made their way into dinner, the heiress and her little pet. Already he could feel the tension in his neck, the hinge of his jaw. He thought of how Hermione would occasionally kiss him there...right at the pulse point near his temple, telling him to relax and let her take care of him...something that actually wasn't relaxing at all, but certainly took his mind off his worries.

Melody Archlight was about as interesting as he'd expected: a beautifully wrapped package with nothing inside. She sat demurely between Draco and her brother at dinner, her golden blond hair swept up in a tight twist secured with diamond and sapphire combs with almost military precision. More jewels dripped from her ears, around her neck and from her wrist, so many that Draco wondered if they made it difficult for her to walk under the weight of them. They made her look sharp, icy, rough edged and unapproachable. Sitting at their table at the gala sipping champagne, she laughed when expected to laugh, responded to questions with easy, agreeable answers and raised no eyebrows with her Pureblood Approved Opinions.

"Oh! I saw your mother the other day, Draco," she said, her voice light and cheerful.

Draco put down his fork and sat back in his chair, choking down the instinct to get up and run.

"Oh yes," Trevor added, "and your father too. There was a Pureblood Elders Dinner at the club in London."

Still Draco said nothing and hoped his obvious indifference would signal an end to the conversation, but Melody just wasn't that smart.

"Naturally I told Narcissa I was bringing you along to the Gala and I thought she was going to burst into tears," she said, laughing. "She told me to give you her best and tell you to come home and see her. How long has it been? Aren't you a bad little boy?"

"The worst," Draco said, sneering across the table at Theo who seemed to be the only one who knew that the Malfoys were no longer a happy little family.

"But you love bad boys, don't you Mel," Theo said, giving her a wink.

"Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way!" She said. "A little darkness keeps things exciting!"

The girls all giggled, flitting off to some other subject and Draco nodded to Theo across the table, not noticing at all that Trevor was watching him carefully over the rim of his glass.

After dinner Draco performed his expected duty and asked her to dance once or twice. She eagerly accepted, pulling him in close, pressing her breasts against him, even resting her head on his chest with her hand on the nape of his neck.

"What is it you do, exactly, Melody?" He asked as they stood in the middle of the dance floor beneath the slowly swirling multicolored lights. He'd been sitting for an hour or two and when he stood the three shots of fire whiskey he'd had at the table went straight to his head.

"I'm the face of Archlight Printing. I make appearances, cut ribbons at openings, host fancy luncheons, throw my name and money behind noble causes," she said, smiling that wide, sparkling smile that'd he'd seen plastered to her face all night, posing for photographs with anyone who asked, particularly the reporters from The Veritas and Real Magic Monthly.